2012 Mobile Year In Review
April 12, 2013 Uncategorized Leave a comment
Mobile web use among teens rises significantly
April 9, 2013 Mobile, News Leave a comment
Washington DC : A recent PEW Internet study among US teens regarding their preferred method of getting online found that 78% of US teens use a mobile phone. Around three quarters of that group accesses the Internet on smart phones and tablets. 25% of that group uses a mobile device as their primary access to the Internet.
This presents an opportunity for marketers to utilize the mobile web in unique and innovative ways. The latest HTML 5 technology allows marketers to deliver an app like experience on a variety of mobile devices not just iOS and Android. Teens are interested in the go anywhere mobile experience. Companies should be looking to provide a unique mobile experience for products and promotions. In many cases the mobile web is superior to utilizing apps as access has gotten easier, no app download required, no long waits for App Store approvals and most importantly no managing expensive multiplatform app updates and launches.
Think about utilizing the mobile web for branded contests and promotions that can be updated regularly, new product launches and experiential events that may not necessitate the cost of a full-blown mobile app. The goal should be to provide an app like experience for all smartphone and tablet users.
We can take this one step further utilizing responsive web design whereby the site automatically adapts to the screen size of the device. With new smaller and mid-size tablets capturing more market share this type of responsive design will continue to gain traction. Find out more - view our recent presentation on mobile web promotion opportunities
Digital media leads in emerging markets
March 6, 2013 News, Social Leave a comment
Looking to promote your product in emerging markets? A recent study shows that mobile and social media are far more influential in these markets than in North America or the UK.
LONDON: The digital channels are more important for marketers than traditional media when it comes to connecting with consumers in emerging markets, new analysis shows.
The Discovery Brand Index of GlobalWebIndex, is based on the results of more than 150,000 Internet users in 31 countries, creating a single measure of the ease with which consumers can find brand messages.
It found, for example, that social media are six times more important for brands in markets such as Indonesia and Thailand than in Japan or the UK.
To highlight the difference in attitudes, consumers in the Netherlands are seven times more likely to learn about new brands and products that social media ads.
Another important digital channel is mobile, and campaigns in countries like Thailand and Vietnam are about four times more efficient than in developed markets such as the UK and the Netherlands.
Developed Internet markets, however, have different characteristics. In Japan and the United Kingdom, for example, the search is twice as important for brands in consumer buying trip digital.
Established brands also exert more power in these markets. In Japan, the brand loyal consumers outnumber those “adventurous brand” by two to one: a bit of stick from 58% to a brand once they find one they like, while 27% always like to try new products.
By contrast, consumers in emerging markets are much less fixed in selecting brand: 73% of Filipino Internet users like to try new products.
“With brands increasingly investing in digital and social media, it is critical to understand how all channels to work together, with individual metrics that cover all communications, whether they are online or not,” said Tom Smith, GlobalWebIndex founder.
Among other findings of the study are that consumers in Hong Kong are more likely to trust the price comparison and consumer review sites in the search for online information products.
And Sweden produced the lowest score online BDI, indicating that the Swedes are the least likely of any nationality to use the Internet to interact with brands or product search.
The data comes from GlobalWebIndex, additional content by WARC staff, March 6, 2013
More Americans are dual screening
March 5, 2013 Mobile Leave a comment
Recent studies indicate that more and more Americans are dual screening, primarily using their tablet or smart phone while watching TV. More viewers we are engaged with content in multiple ways. This could include the sports fan checking out-of-town scores on his smart phone while watching the game on TV. The couple checking IMDb on a tablet to settle a bet over what year a movie was released. And sadly, more often than not workers clearing out some old emails on their laptop while watching Modern Family. Advertisers should explore more opportunities to reach dual screeners. Interacting with televised content by uploading photos sharing tweets or Facebook posts is growing in popularity especially among affluent consumers as the study here suggests.
SAN FRANCISCO: Most wealthy Americans use laptops, smartphones and tablets at the same time as watching television, research has found
The latest Ipsos Mendelsohn Affluent Barometer surveyed 1,055 affluent adults, defined as those who claim an income of at least $ 100,000, and included 192 high net worth consumers with an income of at least $ 250,000.
The Barometer established that 64% of Americans were dual screening on a regular basis. Most preferred to use his laptop (63%), but nearly as many smartphones used (58%) and tablets (53%).
“The technology is truly integrated into [consumers] lives to the point they find it difficult to stop using a device, even when they are engaged with one or two others,” said Steve Kraus, chief research and insights officer for Ipsos MediaCT, luxury Daily.
Just over half the sample used social media platforms while watching TV, with Facebook twice as likely to be used as any other network.
“The widespread media multitasking puts a higher premium on the involvement of consumers,” said Kraus. That means that “really reach them with messages that attract attention of consumers and talk to important consumer values.”
When asked what media channel that would be hard to live without, fully 70% of respondents said they would be your laptop.
Two-thirds could not live without your smart phone, but only one-third described their tablet.
The survey also found that affluent consumers are more optimistic about the state of the economy and their personal perspectives from which the merely affluent.
As a result, luxury marketers must “continue to focus on higher-end, ultra-rich consumers,” said Kraus.
“Luxury projections for growth are modest to affluent as a whole, and we currently see no signs of a return to widespread aspirational luxury shopping behavior that characterized pre-recession America,” he added.
Data supplied by Luxury Daily, additional content by WARC staff, March 5, 2013
57% Facebook users go mobile. Now how to reach them.
January 21, 2013 Mobile, Social Leave a comment
Excellent info-graphic courtesy of QWAYA via Social Media Today.
Facebook’s growth on mobile devices is a good indicator of how rapidly smart phone subscriptions are growing globally. Out of Facebook’s nearly 1,000,000,000 active monthly users 57% are accessing via mobile phone. If you’ve developed a great mobile website or mobile promotion, The Facebook Newsfeed is a fantastic way to drive traffic there.
Things are tough for Greece but great for Greek yogurt. Read this post for a free PinkBerry yogurt
October 25, 2012 Mobile Leave a comment
New Loyalty App for PinkBerry Yogurt. Customers can download the PinkBerry App and get a FREE yogurt with unlimited toppings. The app includes several unique features including:
- Facebook gifting
- Rewards – replacing their old Pink card punchcard program
- In app payment options
- Flavor finder
- And some of the standard store locator social sharing options
Consumers can also instantly share ideas and comments with a promise from PinkBerry to respond in 24 hours.
Scan for the APP.
Note to retailers: it’s time to replace tear pads and punch cards. How a sub shop chain got 650,000 new loyalty members
October 24, 2012 Mobile, Social Leave a comment
- New mobile web ordering and payment accessible to all smart phones via a new HTML 5 platform
- A QR code to check in and claim your points or join the program
67% of smartphone users say mobile friendly sites turn visitors into customers
September 26, 2012 Mobile, News Leave a comment
The following post originally appeared on the Google Mobile Ads Blog.
In this world of constant connectivity, consumers expect to find the information that they want, when they want it – especially when they’re on the go. We know that this applies to their web browsing experiences on mobile, so we took a deeper look at users’ expectations and reactions towards their site experiences on mobile. Most interestingly, 61% of people said that they’d quickly move onto another site if they didn’t find what they were looking for right away on a mobile site. The bottom line: Without a mobile-friendly site you’ll be driving users to your competition. In fact, 67% of users are more likely to buy from a mobile-friendly site, so if that site’s not yours, you’ll be missing out in a big way.
- When they visited a mobile-friendly site, 74% of people say they’re more likely to return to that site in the future
- 67% of mobile users say that when they visit a mobile-friendly site, they’re more likely to buy a site’s product or service
- 61% of users said that if they didn’t find what they were looking for right away on a mobile site, they’d quickly move on to another site
- 79% of people who don’t like what they find on one site will go back and search for another site
- 50% of people said that even if they like a business, they will use them less often if the website isn’t mobile-friendly
- 48% of users say they feel frustrated and annoyed when they get to a site that’s not mobile-friendly
- 36% said they felt like they’ve wasted their time by visiting those sites
- 52% of users said that a bad mobile experience made them less likely to engage with a company
- 48% said that if a site didn’t work well on their smartphones, it made them feel like the company didn’t care about their business
Study : Marketers Underspending on Mobile Marketing
August 31, 2012 Mobile, News Leave a comment
This is something we see a lot and it is part of the reason there is such a big opportunity in mobile. With many companies devoting less than 1% of their total marketing budget to mobile the door is wide open to reach consumers in this category that has arrived.
NEW YORK: via WARC US marketers should increase their spend on mobile marketing by a factor of seven, according to a study commissioned by the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA).
The research by Marketing Evolution, a marketing measurement and analytics firm, concluded that the optimized level of spend on mobile advertising for US marketers in 2012 should be 7%, on average, compared to the current budget allocation of less than 1%.
“Finally, we are able to give marketers a level of empirical data that takes out the guesswork,” said Greg Stuart, CEO, MMA Global.
He added that the research “offers a baseline for further discussions on what a rebalanced marketing mix should look like to achieve a stronger ROI on every dollar they spend.”
The precise level of spend will of course depend on the marketing goal and industry category. The study also indicated that mobile’s share of the media mix will only increase in the future, to at least 10% by 2016 as more people use smartphones.
Rex Briggs, CEO of Marketing Evolution, said: “It’s clear that marketers, on average, are spending significantly less than they should on mobile and are losing out on sales and profits by settling for a sub-optimal media mix.”
The information was welcomed by B. Bonin Bough, vice president of Global Media and Consumer Engagement at Kraft Foods.
“We’re committed to making a difference in mobile innovation,” he said, “so I’m very pleased that the MMA is leading the industry with this valuable data.”
The MMA estimates that mobile marketing in the US is currently worth $26bn.
Data sourcd from MMA; additional content by Warc staff, 31 August 2012
Contact ApolloBravo for a free mobile + social readiness evaluation.
Three “Must do” marketing investments.
July 11, 2012 Mobile, News, Social Leave a comment
Excellent article on 3 must do marketing investments shared in Tech crunch. Before making the investment companies need to explore how mobile, social and content can be linked and delivered efficiently. With over 50% of search now conducted via apps and mobile devices is important to put mobile 1st in this trio.
Summer signals the beginning of budget season. Before making marketing investment decisions, analyze this year’s three marketing must-haves: social media, content marketing and mobile. While aspects of these marketing formats may not have direct costs, they all require budget and resources.
1. Social Media
Social media provides platforms, enabling marketers to interact with their target audience. Social media involves more than a Facebook page or Twitter account. It requires an integrated social media strategyincluding a social media persona to ensure it’s an integral part of your marketing.
- Assess current social media presence. Is your brand present on appropriate social media networks? Are you actively managing your presence? Are there emerging social media platforms relevant to your firm, focus, or target market where you must establish your presence?
- Evaluate your brand’s portrayal across social media platforms. Is your brand consistently presented? Do your branding guidelines need to be enhanced?
- Determine the engagement level you need on social media platforms. Remember, you can’t rely on three tweets a day written by your agency. You need a human face behind your social media presence. Ensure you’ve got appropriate in-house resources to respond to social media requests.
- Create relevant content to feed social media needs. Assess requirements across content formats and social media platforms. Include formal content marketing as well as social media interactions like Facebook comments and Twitter responses.
- Support your social media presence with targeted advertising. Do you need to enhance your social media presence with related paid advertising? Consider the use of social media ads.
2. Content Marketing
Content marketing is promotion-free information that fuels social media and overcomes purchase decision hurdles. (Here’s an outline of content marketing’s basic steps.)
- Analyze content marketing needs. Assess the existing content within your organization. Then determine where you have content marketing needs and where you have holes in your existing offering. Specifically examine the entire purchase process and social media interactions.
- Integrate content marketing into an editorial calendar. Determine where content is needed, the format and topic required, and the timing of its creation based on your assessment. Incorporate this information into a plan across platforms to ensure it’s synched with your promotional calendar. Plan for content reuseto extend the life of each element.
- Acquire appropriate resources for your content creation team. At a minimum, you need an editor and a copy editor. While you can encourage employees and customers to contribute content, determine where you need additional support. Don’t underestimate the need for designers, photographers, writers and technology support. These resources can be internal, freelance or agency-based.
- Expand content marketing reach. Make it easy for readers to share your information with social sharingbuttons. Where appropriate, use advertising to promote your content and build an audience.
- Ensure content marketing closes sales. Content marketing by itself can’t drive sales. It needs calls-to-action and related dedicated promotional codes. Further, create tailored landing pages and streamline the sales process to efficiently convert prospects to sales.
3. Mobile
Mobile is a must-have for every business with a retail presence or that competes with a business that has a retail presence since mobiles and tablets go shopping.
- Be present on mobile search. Mobile search is separate from web search. Local businesses that people seek on-the-go must be findable on mobile search.
- Build a mobile website. Don’t just assume people can read your web-optimized site on a mobile device. Create a streamlined mobile website focused on the information customers want on-the-go.
- Build a mobile phone number house file. If you don’t have a mobile phone list, start building one now.
- Optimize your emailings for mobile devices. Email is the primary content consumed on mobile devices. Ensure readers can easily read and take action on your emailings via a connected device.
- Assess need for a mobile app. In the past year, mobile app usage has surged ahead of mobile web, according to Flurry. Depending on your business, this shift may require investment in a mobile app.
According to IBM’s State of Marketing 2012, marketers face an array of challenges. Top on their lists are channel and device choice expansion and customer collaboration and influence. This is no surprise given social media’s exponential growth, increased smartphone usage, and the quick adoption of tablets. These elements require new ways of engaging and selling prospects and customers through content marketing and social media delivered via various mobile devices.
At a time when marketers need additional funds to test these emerging channels and platforms, more than a quarter of those surveyed believe their biggest challenge is financial constraints and ROI accountability. This is to be expected in light of weak economic growth. Many businesses using social media, content marketing and/or mobile are still testing these strategies and haven’t developed effective tracking yet.
